Ever had a craving for Apple Matcha Sage Cube Cakes? Luckily for you, Kate Packwood’s Wild Flour Bakery specialises in the distinctive desserts you’ve been waiting for. Kate shared with us her passion for baking and her commitment to making magic happen in the oven.
Tell us about your background in cake. How did it all begin?
I enjoy cake, but I’m fussy about it. I started The Wild Flour Bakery because I wanted to make cakes that were full of exciting flavours; that are sophisticated and decadent rather than lurid and sugary. I am on a constant mission to create something extraordinary. I think that cake is one of those glorious little joys in life that everyone can enjoy, and that as a baker I have a responsibility to make it something really remarkable.
You specialise in unusual flavour combinations that lead to some extraordinary buns. Tell us about your process of coming up with new recipes.
I love designing cakes, I get a real kick out of discovering new flavour combinations, and I love to add that element of surprise, of newness. Inspiration can come from anywhere, but I find the best ideas come when I’m inspired by things outside of the world of baking. I offer a tailored cake service, whereby I design a cake specifically for a customer for events like weddings and birthdays. I talk to the customer and find out about their personality, their likes and dislikes and design them a cake especially for them.
Tell us about your dedication to ethical and wholesome food. How does that translate into your ingredients?
The most important thing when making a cake, or any food, is the ingredients. If you start with second-rate ingredients you can never create something stellar. The quality of the ingredients is at the heart of what I do. I feel strongly about approaching any transaction with honour and decency and that informs where I source my ingredients. I try to buy as many of my ingredients directly from the producers so that I can be certain of the standard and that they are making a fair price for their hard work.
Who are some bakers, Irish and international, that inspire you?
I am deeply inspired by patisseries in San Francisco and Japan – there are some really cutting-edge bakeries there that really excite me. However, I try not to take inspiration from other bakers and bakeries but instead from other forums. For example, I am profoundly inspired by many of the Irish microbreweries with their fearless pursuit of craft beers that are excellently executed and full of flavour. They don’t try to create a beer that is bland and will therefore please all palates, they go all-in for striking flavours that don’t suit everyone. Each craft beer is different and packed with character – they’re ballsy. That is what I try to do with cake, to make something bold and daring and courageous. The Wild Flour Bakery is a microbakery, and the devil is in the detail.
Many baked goods can be very conventional, and I try to be the opposite. What I love about what I do is that it is where art meets science. Baking it is an exact science, it involves chemistry between your ingredients, but the addition of art, of creating something extraordinary in both taste and aesthetics means that you can really do something magical.
Find out more about where you can find Kate’s exceptional cakes and follow her passion for food on her blog www.artichokeandtypewriter.com or visit her at her stall in the Honest To Goodness Market in Glasnevin every Saturday.
Kate’s Apple, Sage and Matcha Cube Cakes
Grab these:
- 4 eggs
- 148g Sunflower oil
- 280g Caster Sugar
- 400g Apples (peeled, cored, grated)
- 80g Pecans
- Small handful of sage leaves (finely sliced)
- 1/2 tsp ground fresh cardamom
- 300g Plain flour
- 2tsp Baking Powder
- 1.5 tsp Matcha powder
- 100g White Chocolate
Now do this:
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Grease 10 square mousse rings.
- Whisk eggs, oil and sugar.
- Add apple, pecans, sage and cardamom, mix thoroughly
- Mix in flour, baking powder, 1 tsp matcha
- Divide between rings and bake for 25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Melt white chocolate and stir in the remaining matcha powder. Pipe onto top of cakes and garnish with a small sage leaf.
